7 movies and TV shows our entertainment team has queued up this Thanksgiving

A woman looks on as her friend leans out a window smoking a cigarette.

, Matt Brennan, Tracy Brown, Maira Garcia, Amy Kaufman, Robert Lloyd and Mary McNamara

Nov. 27, 2024 12 PM PT

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who plans to have a lot of free time on their hands this weekend.

Sure, you may spend some of it cooking (and eating), and some of the rest heading to the movies with the family. But if you’re anything like the entertainment experts here at The Times, you’re also looking forward to curling up on the couch for more than your usual dose of time in front of the TV.

In case you need some recommendations to fill your queue, here’s what seven regular newsletter contributors will be catching up on — or rewatching — over the long holiday weekend.

‘An Almost Christmas Story’ (Disney+)

A child walks down a snowy sidewalk with an owl on his shoulder.

After reading TV critic Robert Lloyd’s emphatic endorsement of Disney+’s “An Almost Christmas Story” in his holiday watching guide, I knew it was the perfect new film to watch with my 2-year-old, who recently became fascinated with owls. The animated short is loosely based on the true story of a little owl that was found in the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2020. It adds in a lost little girl, a busker with a guitar (played by John C. Reilly, who performs two original songs), and a trio of pigeons who come to the rescue. As a former New Yorker, it made me smile to see scenes of the subway and the Rockefeller ice rink, and it brought back warm feelings of spending the holidays in the city. Coming in at just over 20 minutes, it’s long enough to tell a unique story while fully keeping my son’s attention. — Maira Garcia

‘Hawkeye’ (Disney+)

a woman and man side-by-side with their arrows nocked

If you’re looking to tiptoe into the holiday spirit before going full bore with Christmas classics like “Elf” or “Love Actually,” 2021’s “Hawkeye” on Disney+ may be the watch, or rewatch, for you. Set mostly in festive New York, “Hawkeye” manages to embody the season, albeit in a very MCU way. As Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye wrestles with the sins of his past while embracing a newly peaceful present, he is forced to grapple with the future — in the form of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a young and devoted acolyte determined to team up with her hero to fight all manner of new and old bad guys. If that’s not enough, Florence Pugh’s Yelena shows up, putting the trimming on the tree. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you might just be in time to ask Santa for an archery set. —Mary McNamara

‘Felicity’ (Hulu)

Scott Speedman and Keri Russell in "Felicity."

I binged all four seasons of “Felicity” the summer before I went to college, which was definitely one of the worst decisions I’ve made. Watching an 18-year-old woman arrive in New York City, move into a dorm with bay windows and proceed to have two sickeningly cute guys fall in love with her during her freshman year gave me some slightly unrealistic expectations about university life. The episode that really did me in came during the first season of the W.B. show, which starred Keri Russell. Instead of flying home to California for Thanksgiving, Felicity decides to stay in New York for the holiday. She and her friends — including those two hot dudes (Scott Speedman and Scott Foley) — make side dishes in the microwave and eat out of Tupperware. But the entire evening is imbued with a kind of magic, the kind you feel while aching for your youth but simultaneously feeling overwhelmed by the promise of your adult life. If you’re spending Thursday with your chosen family, it’ll really hit. Then you can stream the rest of J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves’ quintessential college series. —Amy Kaufman

‘Matlock’ (Paramount+)

Three lawyers talk in a glass-walled office.

One of the things I associate with family time is mysteries and detective shows. My childhood featured a steady television diet of “Perry Mason” and “Columbo” reruns, “Murder, She Wrote,” “Matlock” and more, thanks to my mother. My plans for this long holiday weekend include catching up on CBS’ “Matlock” reboot starring Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock, a retired lawyer who maneuvers her way into a new job at a law firm with her smarts and disarming grandma charm. Matty claims her return to the workforce is because she needs the money to support herself and her grandson, but by the end of the first episode we learn there is much more to her story than she lets on to her new colleagues. It’s a bit different than the “Matlock” my mom remembers, but I’m sure she’ll be into it, too. —Tracy Brown

‘My Brilliant Friend’ (Max)

This time six years ago, I first fell in love with “My Brilliant Friend’s” mastery of perspective, fresh from a summer spent standing in the pool reading the quartet of Neapolitan novels that inspired it. Since then I’ve drifted apart from the HBO series, a little like Lenù and Lila, the lifelong intimates of Elena Ferrante’s 20th century epic: Work intervened, or family, and rather than disrespect its careful compositions (or subtitled Italian) and relegate it to background viewing, I fell out of touch. But — also a little like Lenù and Lila — there was never a question of falling out completely. Coverage of “My Brilliant Friend’s” fourth and final season, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Irene Maiorino, recently reminded me of that initial burst of affection, and without so many of the usual distractions I’m resolved to make amends in the coming days. If the remaining seasons are as immersive as the first, whether in their understanding of Naples’ social stratification or our heroines’ yearning to break free from it, by the time Monday rolls around I’ll be able to cross this one off my “to watch” list. —Matt Brennan

‘My Old Ass’ (Prime Video)

A film with the title “My Old Ass” might seem like an odd choice to recommend for holiday viewing, especially if it involves the whole family. But don’t let the mildly risqué title discourage you from taking in this offering, which not only provides plenty of humor but is also conveyed with emotion and poignancy that might inspire you to appreciate your own family more. The comedy stars Maisy Stella as Elliot, a queer 18-year-old who is about to depart for college, eager to leave the beautiful Ontario town where she grew up and where her family that has farmed cranberries for decades. After indulging in some psychedelic mushrooms, Elliot’s older self suddenly appears. Played by a pitch-perfect Aubrey Plaza, the older Elliot provides a glimpse — and some warning signs — about what the future holds. The less you know about the film, the more you’ll enjoy the fresh perspectives and the surprising twists. Stella gives a winning performance that should not be ignored during awards season. —Greg Braxton

‘Perry Mason’ (multiple platforms)

Barbara Hale and Raymond Burr in "Perry Mason."

The original series (1957 to 1966), that is, starring kind-eyed, wide-shouldered Raymond Burr as the famous defense attorney, abetted by right hand Della Street (Barbara Hale) and practically personal private investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper), bedeviled by Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) and district attorney Hamilton Berger (William Tallman), fated ever to lose. (That the authorities get things wrong is the very premise of the show; Erle Stanley Gardner, who created the character on the page, was behind an early version of the Innocence Project.) In its legal asides and the opaque quality of its principal characters, the series mirrors the spirit of the books. The inevitability of Perry winning every case distinguishes it from more “realistic” courtroom dramas but guarantees satisfaction. —Robert Lloyd

Television Movies

Greg Braxton

A lifelong Los Angeles resident, Greg Braxton has written for the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades. He currently is a staff writer covering television for the Calendar section, and has also written extensively about trends and cultural issues in the entertainment field.

Matt Brennan

Matt Brennan is a Los Angeles Times’ deputy editor for entertainment and arts. Born in the Boston area, educated at USC and an adoptive New Orleanian for nearly 10 years, he returned to Los Angeles in 2019 as the newsroom’s television editor. He previously served as TV editor at Paste Magazine, and his writing has also appeared in Indiewire, Slate, Deadspin and numerous other publications.

Tracy Brown

Tracy Brown is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering television, film and other pop culture.

Maira Garcia

Maira Garcia is the television editor for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was an editor on the culture desk at the New York Times, where she focused on awards shows and breaking news coverage, and led the department’s audience strategy. A native of Texas, she graduated from Texas State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mass communication.

Amy Kaufman

Amy Kaufman is a columnist at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes the A-1 column “For Real With Amy Kaufman.” The series examines the lives of icons, underdogs and rising stars to find out who the people are shaping our culture — for real. Since joining The Times in 2009, she has profiled hundreds of influential figures including Stevie Nicks, Nick Cannon, Drew Barrymore and Lady Gaga. She is also an investigative reporter and was part of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist team that covered the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. Her work often shines a light on the darker side of the entertainment business, and she has uncovered misconduct allegations against Randall Emmett and Russell Simmons. In 2018, her book “Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure” became a New York Times bestseller.

Robert Lloyd

Robert Lloyd has been a Los Angeles Times television critic since 2003.

Mary McNamara

Mary McNamara is a culture columnist and critic for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she was assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment following a 12-year stint as television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing. She is the author of the Hollywood mysteries “Oscar Season” and “The Starlet.” She lives in La Crescenta with her husband, three children and two dogs.